Hollendorfer Horses DQ'd in Drug Cases

Stewards at Golden Gate Fields have disqualified a pair of horses trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and ordered a redistribution of purses in separate medication cases announced by the California Horse Racing Board Nov. 1.

Gold Ruckus, second in the first race at Golden Gate Fields June 2, 2007, tested positive for a metabolite of the FDA-approved horse tranquilizer xylazine in a post-race urine sample screened by the Ken Maddy Laboratory at the University of California-Davis, and confirmed by split sample tested at the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Laboratory, according to the CHRB. This is a Class 2 violation.

Dixie Crisp, first in the eighth race at Bay Meadows on Feb. 19, 2007, was determined to have had scopolamine in a post-race urine sample tested by the Maddy Lab. According to the CHRB, Scopolamine is an anticholinergic drug that is also the toxic agent in the poisonous plant Jimsonweed, which is found in California and much of the U.S. It is a Class 3 violation.

Hearings are pending against Hollendorfer.

The stewards at Golden Gate also issued a 60-day suspension to trainer Sean McLaughlin for violation of CHRB rules after the Ken Maddy Lab determined the urine sample collected from a horse in his care, Dab of Lightning, contained lidocaine. Industrial Laboratory confirmed the finding in the split sample.

McLaughlin was on probation for two earlier Class 3 violations at the time of this violation, according to the CHRB. Dab of Lightning finished first in the ninth race at the Solano County Fair on July 20. A hearing for the disqualification of Dab of Lightning and redistribution of the purse is pending. McLaughlin began serving the suspension Oct. 24.